Rafael van der Vaart has recently confessed that he could not turn down a move to Manchester United, but there should be a bit of concern with how he stated it.
The Dutch midfielder, who is currently under contract with Real Madrid, fears that he will not be able to get ample enough playing time under new manager, Jose Mourinho, so he would only be open to a move to Old Trafford.
Despite saying nothing but glowing remarks about club and the manager, van der Vaart did state, "...If Manchester United could offer me first-team football with the situation as it is at Madrid, it would be very hard to turn down...," which could potentially be a problem with the speculation of this move.
At clubs like Madrid and United, competition for places is quite fierce, and you need to be playing your best football or you will lose your place, so van der Vaart would not be guaranteed a place in the first-team - and rightfully so.
The 27-year old midfielder is about to enter what Sir Alex Ferguson calls, "the prime of his career," so he must be ready to contribute on a consistent basis, or be prepared to spend a long time on the cold subs' bench.
Stiff
United already have a stacked midfield with Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Tom Cleverley, Darron Gibson and the fit-again Anderson already competing for places two or three places, so adding the former Ajax midfielder would surely complicate things for Sir Alex.
Anderson has just joined in first-team training following a six-month layoff after rupturing a knee ligament against West Ham United last February.
With his fitness and availability still uncertain, and with rumors swirling about Darron Gibson eying a permanent move to Stoke City, a move for van der Vaart could be on the cards.
Ferguson has stated his concern about getting more goals this season from his midfield and since van der Vaart has scored 120 goals in 327 appearances during his club career with Ajax, Hamburg SV and Madrid, it could be a viable option for the Gaffer.
However, Sir Alex is not really in the need of an attack-minded midfielder this season, but he does need a versatile, holding to replace Owen Hargreaves spot in the squad.
Rafael van der Vaart is one of the best at his position and can really offer a different dimension to the Manchester United midfield, so it will be interesting to see if Sir Alex Ferguson breaks his comments about his summer spending being over between now and the end of summer transfer window.
Contributed by David Hammons / The United Religion
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